Johnathan Ball

Can it be Summer again already. We’re barely even into winter and I’m already missing the warm weather in Portland. It was so nice while it lasted. Ramon Antonio invited a bunch of the homies from California to come ride with us up here. This is day 3 of their trip. By this point I had shifted my focus from photo to shooting video and capturing long lens second angles. That being said, I did shoot a bunch of stills of everyone jumping this parking lot bank.

I’m not sure what Miguel Zendejas is eating for breakfast, but it’s working. He has tailwhips unlike anybody else in fixed gear right now. Must have signed his name in blood on some ancient scroll to achieve such talent and skill on two wheels. Johnathan Ball is another one of those dudes who always surprises you with how deep is bag of tricks can be. He’s like felix the cat the way he pulls things out of thin air. I’ll shut up now, photos > words.

Blow the whistle. After taking a short mid-day break, we loaded up the van and headed back to down town to see what else we could stack before the sun set.

I didn’t shoot as many photos as the day before but was able to get a handful of shots of Miguel Zendejas’ neon yellow Master Bike Co Prototype. I’m not sure when these frames will be available to the public, but I’ve heard whispers of them rolling out sometime in the few couple months. What I can tell you is that these frames are incredibly compact, have steep head tube angles and offer up one of the most progressive geometries FGFS has ever seen.

If you’ve ever ridden with us, than I’m sure you already know, but I’m always the idiot running around trying to round up the crew for a family photo. It’s become somewhat of a tradition at this point, and is always worth the effort. This one in particular was potentially the most challenging one we’ve taken yet. We used the typical 10 second timer, but added in a 2 second exposure as a curve ball. Shout out to these dudes for remaining completely still during that time and to anyone else who has ever put up with my consistent craziness. One day I’ll publish a book of all these group shot. You’ll see.

That just about covers it. Again, keep em peeled for photos from Day 3 of our time together in Portland. Click “MORE” to check out other photos from day 2. (more…)

Day one and done. It didn’t take much to roast us to the bone. After the first full day of riding in Portland with the boys we were already salty, sore, and thirsty for more. With legs like noodles and arms like peanut brittle we pushed ourselves and each other to keep the stoke alive.

Setting the stage. Ramon Antonio flew Johnathan Ball, Miguel Zendejas & Josh Silva to PDX to film for a video project he’s been wanting to shoot. Although we don’t have a name for it yet, filming is well underway and is already shaping up to be the hot ticket video of the Summer.

Life is better with grain. Film photos always have such stronger feels and carry such a greater reward for capturing the moment with a single click. It’s been minute since the homies from down south were in town. Still having a hard time calling Portland a city. Feels more like a suburb with a skyline. More trees than buildings over 2 stories tall.

I tried shooting an old roll of color Kodachrome while they were here. Lets just say it didn’t work out as planned. Haha. It basically came out as a bunch of gray images. That roll aside, here are some photos that did turn out. Until next time my dudes. (Riders: Miguel Zendejas, Johnathan Ball, Josh Silva, Ramon Antonio III, Sam Allgood)

I keep a camera on me just about everywhere I go, and ever since I got my hands on a Hasselblad it’s quickly become my everyday carry. So when it came time to fly to Arizona for the Prickly Pear Jam I knew I’d be bringing two things. My FGFS bike and this camera. I’ve traveled to a lot of places and for the most part when it’s hot, it’s humid. But AZ was a dry heat that I don’t think any of us were prepared for. It was by and far one of the most blisteringly hot places I’ve ever been and sent everybody home with either a tan or a sunburn by the end of the jam. 9 hours of riding beneath the desert sun will do that to you. Shout out to Mike T. Schmitt for hosting the event and getting the band back together again.

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. Those words couldn’t be more true as the 2016 Prickly Pear Jam in Arizona comes to a close. Huge shout out to everyone who showed up and an ever louder applause to Mike Schmitt for bringing everyone together. I’m looking forward to seeing where the next jam like this is going to take place. Until then, enjoy scrolling through these 50 of the images I took during the day of the event, and keep your eyes peeled for a video of the Jam coming soon.

That’s it folks, the 2016 Prickly Pear Jam in Arizona is officially a wrap. This has been one of the best FGFS events there has been in years and it’s something that will be remembered for a long time to come. Scroll through and check out a handful of photos from our second day in town and Keep your eyes peeled for shots from the jam coming out tomorrow.(more…)

Another year is in the bag so we took a minute to reflect on 15 of the most memorable videos of 2015. It’s amazing to watch the progression that continues to happen year after year and I couldn’t be more stoked to be a part of it. Take a look below and see for yourself.(more…)

First things first, huge shout out to everybody who came to the the 2015 SF Bike Expo to ride, kick it and support the scene. It’s times like this and friends of this caliber that remind me of why I started riding FGFS to begin with. None of this would have been possible without you, and after seeing the stoke this event cultivated we’re going to pick up the pace on hosting more FGFS Jams of our own. Thanks again to everyone who helped make this happen and keep your eyes peeled for the video of the event. Coverage of the 2015 SF Bike Expo provided by Suck My Cog & Wheel Talk

I came across these photos of Minkyu Sim while transferring footage from Dew & Jaoa’s memory card. Minkyu came out to the Bay Area and stayed with us while he was in town for Ride N Style this year. He was the only dude to come out for the event from Korea and just recently has been in basic training for mandatory military service. You can check out more photos below and watch the video of him that just came out last month.(more…)